What happens if the AI can't answer a question?

It captures the question, takes the caller's details, and pages you immediately. It never bluffs. Most Pro customers see fall-through rates under 5% by month two.

How is it different from a virtual receptionist with humans?

Human virtual receptionist services run $300–$800/month, cover business hours only, and don't know your trade or pricing. BackOnTools knows your business cold, works 24/7, books straight into your calendar, and costs less.

AI Receptionist · Built for Australian Tradies

Answer Every Call.
Book Every Job.

You’re under a sink. Phone’s buzzing in your back pocket. You can’t get to it — hands are wet, you’re halfway through a fitting, and the homeowner is watching you work. By the time you wash up and check, it’s gone to voicemail. No message. Just a missed call from a number you don’t recognise.

That was a $400 hot water service replacement. You’ll never know. This is the daily reality for Australian tradies. You’re not avoiding work — you’re doing the work. But the bloke who needed you ten minutes ago has already rung the next plumber on the list. 62% of callers don’t leave a voicemail. They just dial the next number. Across the country, Aussie businesses lose around $8 billion a year this way. Almost all of it is preventable.

BackOnTools is an AI receptionist built specifically for Australian trade businesses. It answers every call in your voice, books jobs straight into your calendar, quotes standard pricing, and sends invoices. It works at 6am on a Saturday and at 11pm on a Tuesday.

📞 Hear it before you read another word

Call +61 468 096 380 right now — that’s our live demo line. Ask it for a quote on a hot water swap or to book a Friday morning. You’ll know in 90 seconds.

Book a 20-min demo →Call the AI now ▶ +61 468 096 380

How it works

When a customer rings the number we set up for you, BackOnTools picks up on the first ring. No hold music, no “please leave a message after the tone.” It greets them by your business name, asks how it can help, and starts the conversation. Three things happen from there.

It understands what they need.

Burst pipe at 2am? It marks the job urgent and pages you straight away. After-hours quote request for a kitchen reno? It captures the details and schedules a callback for Monday morning. It knows the difference because we train it on your trade and your jobs during setup.

It books the job.

It checks your calendar — Google, ServiceM8, Tradify, whatever you use — and offers the customer real available slots. They pick one. The job goes in your diary with the customer's name, address, phone number, and a summary of what they need.

You get notified.

Texts and emails hit your phone the moment the call ends. Full transcript, customer details, what was booked, and the audio recording if you want to hear how it went. No app to learn, no dashboard to check between jobs. Just calls answered, jobs booked.

What it costs you to not have one

Let’s run the numbers on a real scenario. You’re a plumber in Brisbane — one-man show, maybe with an apprentice. On a busy day you’re getting eight to twelve calls. Industry data says tradies lose 20 to 40 per cent of inbound calls on a busy day. Take the conservative end: four missed calls a week at an average $350 job.

$1,400

Lost every week

4 missed calls × $350 avg job

$72,800

Lost every year

Doesn't include referrals lost.

Push it to five missed calls a week and you’re at $91,000. Six missed calls and you’re at $113,000. That’s a second tradie’s salary, walking out the door because nobody answered the phone.

There’s another stat worth knowing. Within five minutes of a missed call, the lead is 21 times more likely to qualify with the first responder. The first responder wins 78% of the job. Speed isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the whole game.

A human receptionist runs you about $55,000 a year, plus super, plus they only work 9-to-5 weekdays. BackOnTools Starter is $197 a month— $2,364 a year. If it saves you one missed job a month, it’s already paid for itself. Most tradies on our books make it back in week one.

Built for Australian trades

We didn’t take a US product and slap a kangaroo on it. BackOnTools was built from the ground up for Aussie trade businesses, and that shows up in the details.

If you’re a plumber, it knows the difference between a burst pipe (urgent, page now) and a tap washer (book it for next week). It can quote a standard hot water service swap or a basic blocked drain.

If you’re a sparkie, it understands switchboard upgrades versus a dead powerpoint, and it knows when a job needs an electrical safety certificate.

If you’re in HVAC, it handles split system installs, ducted servicing, and the summer rush of “my air-con is dead” calls. It quotes ballparks and books the right tech.

If you’re a builder or landscaper, it captures scope properly — square metres, materials, site access — so you don’t waste a quote visit on a tyre-kicker.

It speaks in Aussie English, uses local phone numbers, knows your suburbs, and works around AU public holidays. It runs 24/7, which matters when half your emergency work comes in after 5pm.

What BackOnTools replaces

Most tradies handle missed calls one of four ways. Voicemail loses you 62% of callers before they even hear the beep. Forwarding to your partner or your mum works for a fortnight before it burns the relationship. Hiring a receptionist is $55,000 a year for someone who clocks off at 5pm and takes four weeks of leave. Ignoring the problem costs you $90,000-plus a year in lost jobs.

BackOnTools is the fourth option. Cheaper than a receptionist, available around the clock, and never lets a call drop. It doesn’t replace you — you still do the work, you still build the relationships, you still run the business. It just makes sure you actually get to the jobs in the first place.

Plans and pricing

Three plans, no tricks, cancel any time. The setup fee is one-off — we build, train, and test your receptionist over seven days. After that you’re live.

Starter

$197/month

+ $497 setup

Every call answered in your business voice. Caller details captured and texted to you within seconds. Basic FAQ handling.

Pro

$297/month

+ $997 setup

Frequently asked questions

Does it sound like a real person?+

Yes — and we mean that. The voice is natural, conversational, and warm. It pauses, it acknowledges what the caller said, it asks follow-up questions. On Premium plans we can clone your actual voice so customers think they're talking to you. We've had business owners ring their own number and not realise it was the AI for the first 30 seconds. Call +61 468 096 380 and judge for yourself.

What happens if it can't answer a question?+

It does the smart thing: captures the question, takes the caller's details, tells them you'll ring back within a window you've set, and pages you the moment the call ends. It never bluffs. We'd rather it say "let me get the boss to ring you about that" than make up a price and lose your trust. Most Pro customers see fall-through rates under 5% by month two.

Can it book into ServiceM8 or my calendar?+

Yes. We integrate with ServiceM8, Tradify, AroFlo, simPRO, Google Calendar, and Outlook out of the box. Pro and Premium plans include full booking — the AI checks your real availability and books the job straight in, with customer details, address, and job notes.

Is there a lock-in contract?+

No. Cancel any time, month to month, no exit fees. We don't believe in trapping people. If it doesn't pay for itself in your first month, something's wrong and we'll either fix it or refund you. We'd rather earn your business every month than lock you into a 12-month deal you resent.

How long does setup take?+

Seven days from the day you sign up. We spend the first two days mapping your business — your services, your standard quotes, your schedule, your tone. Days three to five we build and train the AI. Days six and seven we test it with real calls and fine-tune. On day seven your number goes live. Most of it happens on a single 45-minute kickoff call.

What trades does it work for?+

Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, builders, carpenters, painters, tilers, landscapers, gardeners, pest control, locksmiths, garage door techs, glaziers, roofers, concreters. If you take phone calls and book jobs, it'll work for you. We've built specific knowledge bases for the main trades, so plumbers don't get electrician answers.

Does it work after hours?+

Yes, 24/7, every day of the year. This is where most of our customers see the biggest lift. The 9pm Sunday burst pipe, the 5am call from the homeowner whose hot water just died, the Saturday morning quote request — all answered, all booked, all in your inbox before you've finished your coffee. After-hours coverage is included in every plan at no extra cost.

How is it different from a virtual receptionist service with humans?+

Human virtual receptionist services run $300–$800 a month and only cover business hours. Their staff don't know your trade, your pricing, or your schedule, so they end up taking messages instead of booking jobs. BackOnTools knows your business cold, works 24/7, books straight into your calendar, and costs less.

Answer Every Call.Book Every Job.